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Improve self knowledge
By Guy Finley
This article about self knowledge and gives ten steps into the
unknown to acquire self knowledge:
“Ninety percent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing
themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their
real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as
complete strangers to ourselves.” Sydney J. Harris .
10 Small Steps To Real Self Knowledge
Volunteer for deliberate spiritual growth by daring to venture
into the unknown. It may surprise you to discover that the
circumstances necessary just for you, and for your continuing
inner development are much closer than you think! For instance,
start with the following 10 Small Steps To Real Self Knowledge.
Agree to step into these unknown moments and then step back...
And watch how new confidence, unshakable courage, and higher
intuition make their way into your life changing it... and you,
forever.
You Venture Into The Unknown Each Time You Agree To:
1.
Be alone when you don't feel comfortable being with, or
by, yourself.
2.
Stay quiet without any distractions of one kind or
another.
3.
Get up in the morning when you wake up, even when there's
"nothing to do".
4.
Leave the dining table while still feeling a little
hungry.
5.
Refuse to run pleasing mental movies about a hoped-for
brighter future when facing those boring reruns of your present
life.
6.
Ask nothing of God but for Himself.
7.
Dare not to tell someone else how he or she failed to
live up to your expectations.
8.
Leave at least 24 hours between your wish to correct
someone who has angered you and that moment when you decide to
confront him or her.
9.
Agree to assume more responsibility than you think it's
possible for you to handle.
10.
Answer the moment the way you really want to... Without
explaining to anyone why you answered it in the way that you
did.
For additional spiritual benefit you're encouraged to work with
the following exercise :
Each day, at a point and time designated by you, go on a one
hour retreat with nothing. Find a place where you can be by
yourself and meet the hour alone and unknown. Spend this
personal time without bringing anything known into it with
you. Just be you, whatever that brings with it. And it bears
mentioning that you can't fail at this exercise. To attempt
it is to venture into the unknown. If you'll do this much,
the Truth will take care of the rest.
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Turning Off the Fat Genes
By
Christopher Guerriero
"It doesn't make any difference what I eat. Weight
problems just run in my family. It's all genetic." These are
common excuses, but genetic research has just shot them down in
flames. Genes do influence our size and shape, but studies
clearly show that if you change your diet and lifestyle, you can
override hereditary effects to a great degree. Contrary to
popular understanding, genes are not dictators; they are
committees. They do not give orders; they make suggestions. You
can counteract your fat genes and boost your thin genes.
We often think of genes as unchangeable because,
when it comes to eye color or hair color, they really are
decisive. If they call for blue eyes or brown hair, that's it.
But the genes that establish your size and shape are much more
flexible. They need to be able to adjust your appetite and your
calorie burning, depending on whether food is plentiful or not,
and whether you are working hard or resting. Unlike eye or hair
color, your body has to be able to change its composition from
minute to minute, from day to day.
Although your chromosomes are extraordinarily
complex, there are just five key gene groups you need to know
about:
Taste genes determine the foods you crave. In taste
experiments, scientists use a test substance called PROP
(6-N-propylthiouracil). About one in four people can taste its
bitterness very strongly. These people avoid grapefruits and
never go near black coffee. Although their acute taste sense is
generally an advantage, the downside is they may avoid healthy
vegetables, such as broccoli or cabbage, which have a hint of
bitterness. If this group includes you, you'll want to find ways
to flavor these healthy vegetables so you will include them in
your routine.
Another one in four people cannot taste PROP and
are called "taste blind." Their problem is they may tend to
overeat, making up in quantity what they are missing in taste.
If this includes you, and you tend to be indiscriminate in what
you're eating, you'll want to take care to emphasize fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, and beans, and to be very cautious
about fatty foods and their hidden calories.
A gene on chromosome 7 makes leptin, the
appetite-taming hormone. In 1997, English researchers reported
the case of two cousins who became extremely obese very early in
life. They demanded food continuously and ate much more than
their siblings. At age 8, one weighed 189 pounds. She had so
much trouble walking she had to have liposuction of her legs.
Her cousin was only two years old but already weighed 64 pounds.
It turned out they shared a rare mutation blocking the leptin
gene. With no leptin to curb hunger, their appetites were
voracious.
You are not likely to have this same gene
abnormality. However, your leptin may not be working perfectly
either. Very-low-calorie diets disrupt its appetite-taming
effect, causing your appetite to run out of control. The key to
keeping leptin working right is to avoid severe calorie
restrictions. If you eat at least 10 calories per day per pound
of your ideal weight, you are unlikely to run into serious
problems.
A gene on chromosome 8 builds LPL, the key enzyme
that stores fat in your cells. It waits along the walls of the
tiny blood vessels that course through your body fat, and its
job is to extract fat from your bloodstream and pass it into
your fat cells for storage. If your LPL is doing its job a
little too well, you can change this genetic tendency by
choosing foods that have little or no fat in them. Once again,
vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains are your best
friends.
The hormone insulin, coded on chromosome 11, is
part of your body's system for increasing your metabolism after
meals. Depending on the type of foods you choose, you can help
insulin spark a pronounced after-meal burn that releases
calories as body heat rather than storing them as fat. Low-fat,
vegan diets, along with regular exercise, make insulin more
efficient.
Believe it or not, exercise aptitude is largely
biological, too. People who love to go for a five-mile run at
the crack of dawn are genetically different from other people.
They are endowed with a better capillary network that brings
oxygen to working muscles and a more efficient fuel-burning
mechanism. If you did not get these genetic advantages, you can
do the next best thing. If you begin a regular exercise program
and stick with it, your muscle cells begin to look more and more
like those of natural athletes.
There is no need to be daunted by your family
heritage. Yes, some of us will always be bigger and others
smaller. But with a healthy, low-fat diet and regular physical
activity, your genes can stop working against you and start
working for you.
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